Flyers Scoop: Defense can rest easier with Timonen back

PHILADELPHIA -- And the big news before Tuesday night's Flyers game was the best news you could hope to hear at this time of year ...

"We're getting healthy," coach Peter Laviolette said.

For uplifting proof, Laviolette could point to defensive leader Kimmo Timonen's return to the lineup Tuesday night against the Devils. Timonen had missed the previous five games with a strained lower back. That little break came after he turned in 248 straight starts dating to March 2009.

"Mentally, it (the break) has been great," Timonen told reporters at the Flyers' early practice at the Skate Zone. "I've played a lot of hockey these last four years. I didn't do much the last 10 days, so mentally it's really good. Hopefully it carries over the rest of the year and the playoffs."

Regarding the injury, however, Timonen acknowledged it's something he's going to have to deal with the rest of the way: "It's one of those things that I don't think is going to go away," he said.

Also returning was forward Jakub Voracek, who missed three games after getting hit face-first by Detroit plaster man Niklas Kronwall.

Voracek had a split lip and showed some fatigue symptoms and dealt with a sore neck, but passed a concussion baseline test Saturday. To that, the breezy Voracek cracked, "If I had a concussion, they didn't tell me."

"I'm not used to that, missing that many games in a row," Voracek said just before the game. "That never happened to me before. Obviously, it was tough, but I do feel better than I did."

All of the Flyers had to feel good about having Timonen getting back in the lineup, too.

"He's been a scorer throughout his career," Laviolette said of Timonen, "and anytime you start taking pieces out of your lineup you have to find people to replace them. If we had any 40-50 point defensemen in the minors they would have been here."

The blue line offensive boost Timonen gives the Flyers is only one aspect that's been missing since he went out of the lineup earlier this month.

"It's everything with (Timonen)," Laviolette said. "It's the leadership in the room, it's the fact that he plays against the other team's top players, it's the passes out of the zone, he plays 5 on 3 ... he does everything. He's the first call for everything. You start taking pieces away like that and you have to have other people stepping up."

Voracek had some time to sit on the side and watch goalie Ilya Bryzgalov in action. The guy that was near the bottom of starting goalie rankings in the first half was just named NHL First Star of the Week.

"In the last six or seven games he's playing really well and he's getting bounces, which I think is really important for a goalie," Voracek said. "If we make a mistake, we know Bryz is there and we don't have to score five or six goals to win a game. We can score like three and we can win the game.

"I think he's so comfortable now. He was trying too hard before to stop the puck and he was getting a lot of pressure from media and from the fans and it was tough for him. You see him in the last game when he played Florida, he was really confident and the fans started seeing that and cheering him a little bit. I think if this guy gets confident he can be one of the best goalies in the NHL."

NOTES: Timonen was back, but Pavel Kubina went out of the lineup with an undisclosed upper body injury. Also still out is defender Andrej Meszaros, believed to be suffering from a groin injury ... With Timonen's return, tookie defender Brandon Manning was sent back to Adirondack. "He had the opportunity to play for us because of the injuries and he made a good impression," Laviolette said of Manning.